Dalton’s ass was dragging when he entered the cabin. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed next to Samantha and hold her in his arms.

Though during the fire he appeared to be in control the whole time, he hadn’t been. That asshole Dave could have killed them both. If they’d been in her cabin, who knows what could have happened? The dried wood and log siding burned like a grassfire. It went up so fast, there might not have been time to escape. It twisted his insides to see how close he came to losing his newfound love and happiness.

Samantha felt responsible, but she wasn’t. Not once during breakfast did anyone say anything negative about her. They talked about the age of the house. That no one knew she was famous. That went a long way in her favor because weren’t they all just people? Mostly the townsfolk talked about the idiot who thought bullying her could drive her away.

He toed off his boots at the door and took a deep breath. The air smelled like her under the lingering scent of smoke and fire. She was flowers and happiness and sunshine. He hurried down the hallway, and turned into the bedroom, only to find it dark, gloomy and empty.

He knew right away that she’d left him. Dave had won. There wasn’t a trace of her around. Her phone was gone. She always tossed her bag and shoes in the corner, but the space was vacant. The only thing that remained was a note left on his pillow.

Dalton,

These are the hardest words I’ll ever write. How do I tell the person I’m in love with goodbye? It would be impossible unless I knew that leaving was the right thing to do. I’m so sorry that I brought so much hurt to you and Aspen Cove. I will always love this town and the people who made it feel like home. I will always love you.

No matter where our lives lead us, please know that your name will be tattooed on my heart forever.

I am Samantha White.

You are Dalton Black.

The beauty of us will always lie in the gray.

Love

Samantha

Watermarks from her fallen tears marred the paper.

“She free-birded me and never intends to come back.” He crumbled the page and tossed it across the room. “That’s bullshit, and it’s not going to happen.”

Dalton started a pot of coffee. Outside of her new cell number, he had no way of contacting her. No way of knowing where she’d gone.

He dialed her number and was crushed when it went directly to voicemail.

A week later, he was still reaching out to her fan site. Sending letters to her record label and leaving messages with her assistant. He followed her on social media. Bought every one of her albums. Listening to her sing brought both joy and sorrow. He loved and hated the videos he found online where she talked to her fans about never giving up and finding your purpose.

He wanted to call her a liar. She’d given up on them. Then again, she’d sacrificed her own happiness out of some misplaced need to protect him.

When the demolition company arrived to remove the debris, Dalton felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe she would rebuild her cabin and return to rebuild their relationship. That dream was dashed when the following week, a for sale sign went up on the land.

He sat in front of the Wishing Wall one day, eating carrot cake muffins. Katie came out of the back with a stack of notes in her hand. Every few weeks, she’d sit down at a table and grant wishes.

“You need anything?”

“Yes. I need Samantha to come back to me.”

She tossed a baggie of notes on the table and went to get a cup of decaf coffee. It was always decaf. She joked about Bowie being the only stimulation her heart needed.

“You love her?”

“Yes. Isn’t it obvious?”

She sat down and placed the wishes into piles. He knew the routine. Had seen it many times. Knew that she put them into piles of yes, no, and maybe. This time, she had a fourth pile.

“Why are you here? If you love her that much, go and get her.”

“Like that’s so easy. I don’t even know where she is. She won’t answer my calls. I’ve sent dozens of flowers to every Samantha White I can find in the Greater Los Angeles Area. I’ve got quite a fan club of my own now.”

Katie laughed. “You know where she’ll be next week.”

He knew. She’d be at the concert to benefit victims of domestic violence. “I’m glad they didn’t cancel the concert.” Maybe her leaving him was good after all. At least the venue would be full and the money would go to a good cause.

She slid a pile of sticky notes to him. “I think these fall in your lane.”

Dalton raised his brow in confusion. “I’m not the wish granter.”

“Today you are, and if you decide you want to go after what’s important, I can help. I used to be a Middleton, and that still holds some influence.”

Dalton leaned back in his seat. The metal design cut into his back. He opened the first note in the pile. It was dated the day after Samantha arrived. A kiss from Dalton Black would be nice. In his mind, he said, Granted. The second note written in her precise tiny handwriting said, Is it silly to wish for love?

“No.”

Katie looked up from her pile. “Excuse me?”

Dalton shook his head. “Nothing, I was thinking out loud.”

She sipped her coffee. “Then say, yes.”

“But it’s not silly for her to wish for love.”

“No, but it’s silly for her to think she doesn’t deserve it.”

He agreed, but how could he convince her that she was worthy if he couldn’t get in the same time zone as her?

He opened the other notes that had wishes from the press leaving him alone to her wish for him to forgive her.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his parole officer.

“You better not be in jail,” she said. He could hear the whinny of a horse in the background.

“Hell, no.” Thankfully, there was no paper trail of him getting detained weeks ago. If Lucy thought he’d been in trouble, she’d never allow him to leave the state. “I’m leaving the state for a short period. Thought I’d check in.”

“You asking permission?”

Was he? The truth was, no. He’d be leaving whether or not she said it was okay.

“I’m not asking for your permission. I’m following your advice. I fell in love, and I’m making sure she knows it. She can run and hide, but I’ll find her, and I’ll bring her back. We’ve got memories and babies to make.”

“Hmm, I didn’t hear you right. Sounded like you were going to stalk and kidnap someone, but what I think you really meant was, you were going to travel somewhere to tell your woman you love her. That’s what I heard, right?”

He laughed. “Yes, that’s what I said.”

She cleared her throat but still sounded like she’d smoked a pack that day. “Call me when you get back.”

“Will do.” Dalton ended the call and picked up the notes. He opened his wallet and slid them inside. “Now all I need is a way into the concert and a ticket to California.”

Katie held up a finger. She dialed her phone. “Daddy, this is Katie. I need a favor.”

Turns out that once a Middleton meant always a Middleton. And being a Middleton came with perks.